


Lie Like a Rug

by Mintaka14



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, Lila salt, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:40:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23151085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mintaka14/pseuds/Mintaka14
Summary: Lila has everyone right where she wants them. Even Marinette seems to be caving in - or maybe it's not that simple.
Comments: 38
Kudos: 615





	Lie Like a Rug

**Author's Note:**

> This is slightly au - if things took a slightly different turn after Lila got Marinette expelled and then claimed to have a 'lying disease'. It may seem a little ooc for some characters, but... it's a perspective thing.

**Lie Like a Rug**

**A Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction**

**By Mintaka14**

“Lila?”

Lila broke off her latest dramatic instalment and took a moment to make her eyes wide and slightly dewy before she turned to confront Marinette. The silly little goody-two-shoes just never knew when to quit, although something was different this time. Lila suppressed her instinctive frown and let her eyes widen just a tiny bit more, summoning up a scared quiver to her lips. If Marinette tried to call her on anything, the whole watching crowd would leap in to protect poor, defenceless Lila in a heartbeat.

But Marinette was looking thoughtful and contrite. It was enough to make Lila feel deeply suspicious, but she honestly didn’t think Little Miss Everyday Ladybug had it in her to pull off an act that good.

“Lila, I just wanted to say thank you for setting things right with Principal Damocles. I’m so sorry for getting so angry with you. I had no idea it was a medical condition.”

Lila allowed herself to sniff, and unleashed her greatest weapon – a decorous tear rolled down her cheek. Honestly, she’d practised real tears in front of a mirror for hours. It was quite a skill.

She reached out and clasped Marinette’s hands in her own. Marinette didn’t even flinch, and that was what convinced Lila that the naïve moron really had finally folded.

“Oh, Marinette,” she said tearfully. “All I ever wanted was for us to be friends.”

The whole class was eating this up with a spoon, and Lila engineered a watery smile to really sell it. Marinette leaned in sympathetically and squeezed her hands.

“Lila, to make it up to you, I will do _everything_ I can to support you with your condition,” the girl said earnestly. For a moment, Lila wondered if there was an odd hint of steel in Marinette’s voice, but when she looked closer all she could see in Marinette’s face was sincerity and determination. Alya was beaming proudly at them both.

Lila closed with a tearful hug and promises of sisterhood. _My god, I’m good,_ she thought triumphantly.

“I should have known there was something serious going on,” Marinette chided herself, “as soon as you mentioned Uncle Jagged’s kitten. No one would make up something that ridiculous of their own accord. I’m kicking myself that I didn’t realise sooner. I think it was so brave of you to own up to your condition, and now that we know about it, I can _help_.”

She patted Lila on the hand, and the Italian girl fought to keep her face still. _Uncle Jagged? What the hell??_ She had the feeling that something had just gone awry, but she wasn’t sure what.

The next few days were hell. Marinette was solicitous. Marinette was kind. Marinette was… a devious bitch. Every time Lila opened her mouth, there was Marinette.

“That wasn’t true, was it?” In that syrupy sweet voice of calm concern when Lila finished telling her latest masterpiece. “You know you don’t have to make up stories to make friends. We like you just as you are.”

And Lila could see her audience surreptitiously checking her latest story on their phones and laptops before they smiled sympathetically at Lila and turned away. Or humoured her. _Humoured her!_ It was insufferable!

She pulled out all the stops. She even wasted precious time wading through their blogs, online journals, twitter, twaddle, frickin’ Facebook pages to target her stories specifically for the little sheep in her class, and did they appreciate all that effort? The most she got from any of them for all that work was an absent and indifferent, “Sure, Lila,” as she offered to hook them up with their idols, fulfil their dreams, spin them a breathtaking story.

“Sure, Lila.”

And they’d turn back to their conversations and their phones as if she’d said _nothing._

And somehow, Marinette was orchestrating it all, she just knew. Lila narrowed her eyes and leaned in to the conversations. She dropped hints, widened her eyes innocently as she mentioned that wasn’t it so sad that Adrien didn’t even notice how _devoted_ Marinette was, how she hoped that poor Marinette wasn’t upset by all the time that Lila was spending with him on photoshoots. How Marinette never seemed to be around in an akuma crisis and always seemed to ditch her friends in the middle of stuff. And somehow, nothing got through. Not a blush, not a stutter, not even a hint that Miss Perfect was even a little angry.

Every time Lila got in a perfect, subtle dig that should have _destroyed_ Marinette the little twit would pat her hand kindly and exchange glances with their classmates.

“Your lying disease must make things so hard for you, Lila, but we understand that you don’t really mean it.”

Lila could have _screamed_.

It took a few days of careful stalking, but Lila finally managed to corner Alya and Nino without Marinette or Adrien around. She had to counter Marinette’s growing influence.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit… odd? The way Marinette’s suddenly changed?” she asked them with a fearful quiver in her voice. “One minute she’s acting like she hates me, and the next she’s apologising and all sweetness.”

Alya hugged her. “You don’t know Mari like we do. I mean, I know she does a lot of crazy stuff, and she can get jealous and weird when Adrien’s involved, but there isn’t a devious bone in her body. If she’s apologised, it’s because she’s realised she was in the wrong and wants to make amends.”

“I wish I could believe that,” Lila sniffled. “She was just so mean to me before.”

“Well, you have to admit, you did stretch the truth on a lot of stuff before,” Nino chimed in, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. “I mean, we know now why, but you can understand why Marinette was upset. Jagged Stone’s kitten?” He gave a snort of laughter that he quickly muffled.

“If Marinette’s been saying-“

“Nah, Marinette hasn’t said anything. But I can’t believe we didn’t figure it out when you pulled that one.”

Alya elbowed Nino, and he fell silent.

“Marinette is just trying to make it up to you and be supportive. We all are. We’re your friends, Lila.”

Friends, _hell._

_Friends_ would have carried her books for her, and treated her to lunch, and done her homework for her, just like they had since she’d first turned up in their stupid class.

“But I’m not lying!” Lila was playing all out for the crowd’s sympathy. Tears, heaving chest, quivering lip, the whole works. “I really can’t help with the class project. My arthritis-“

And Marinette… Marinette was just watching her with patient interest. 

“If you don’t want to do it, just say so,” Marinette said. How was she so _calm?_ “We won’t hold it against you, you just won’t get full marks for the team component unless you have a doctor’s certificate.”

“I thought you wanted to help me!”

“I do, Lila. I am. But I can’t help you by enabling this behaviour,” Marinette said gently. “I don’t think even you know anymore when your disease is flaring up and you’re not telling the truth, so we have to check for you.”

Lila knew exactly what she was doing. She felt her teeth gritting.

“But I’m not-“

“Yes?”

“I didn’t-“

Oh, she was _clever_. Lila had known from the start that Marinette was going to be her biggest challenge. But Lila wasn’t done for yet.

“I lied about having a disease,” Lila wailed, letting the tears overflow. “I know I shouldn’t have. You’ll all hate me for not telling the truth, but I did it to help _you_ , Marinette. So you weren’t expelled.”

She buried her face in her hands, surreptitiously peeking between her fingers to see how this was playing out.

Alya still had her camera phone trained on the situation, but her attention was on Lila now, and her expression was a little… off.

“So when you accused Marinette of cheating, and stealing your necklace, and pushing you down the stairs, that wasn’t because of some lying disease?” the reporter asked slowly.

“I...”

“No,” Marinette said, and there was no hint of triumph in her voice. “I think Lila really does have a condition. I’m not an expert at all, but I’ve been reading up on pathological lying. It’s been very… illuminating. And I’m sorry I didn’t handle it very well, Lila. I really do want to help you. I’ve got some details of good psychologists if you want them-”

“I don’t want your help!” Lila almost screamed. “Little Miss Goody-two-shoes, think you can fix everything. That didn’t help you hang onto your friends as soon as something more interesting came along.” She swept a scathing look around the classroom.

“I don’t need your help, _Marinette._ I’m not the problem here.”

“I’ve spoken to your mother-“

“You talked to my _mother?_ ” Lila’s voice rose to a shriek. What kind of pathetic squealer would bring her mother into this game? “You _bitch!”_

The muffled sound in the doorway of the classroom made her whip her head around. Her mother was standing there, flanked by Principal Damocles and Miss Bustier, with her hand pressed to her mouth.

Where the hell was an akuma when you needed one?

**Author's Note:**

> This one was a bit of a thought experiment that stemmed from watching that episode and thinking 'well, yes - she's a pathological liar, and SHE'S JUST ADMITTED TO IT! Why aren't any of the characters picking up on that??' And then I figured, what if Marinette did exactly what I did and did a quick search on the condition and how to handle it if you're dealing with a pathological liar? I'm not entirely happy with this piece, but still, here it is. Constructive criticism is gratefully accepted.


End file.
